Wireless communications have become increasingly prominent for sending and receiving information. For example, individuals may utilize a wireless communication device for voice communications, research, entertainment, or for conducting critical business transactions. To support these services, a wireless communication network may perform communications via forward-link communication channels and reverse-link communication channels. Forward-link communication channels typically carry communications from a wireless access network to wireless communication devices, while the reverse-link communication channels transfer communications from the wireless communication devices to the network. The forward-link channels may include data and control channels. The control channels may include pilot channels, sync channels, and paging channels. The data channels may include forward traffic channels.
Typically, the paging channels are used by the wireless access network to notify wireless communication devices when a request to communicate has been received. The paging channels are also used to transmit overhead messages and paging messages. A paging message is a short data message sent over the control channel to communicate information to a wireless communication device. Common pages include incoming call alerts, voice mail indicators, text messages, location requests, and data session requests. Conversely, overhead messages are not addressed to any specific wireless communication device. Instead, the overhead messages are intended for distribution to each mobile unit within a coverage area.
The overhead messages are typically received and processed by a wireless communication device when the wireless communication device is in an “idle state,” (i.e., the device is not engaged in a call or attempting to engage in a call). While in the idle state, a wireless communication device periodically wakes up and listens to the paging channel in order to receive the overhead messages. Because the overhead messages often remain the same for substantial periods of time, a version number may be transmitted along with the overhead message allowing the wireless communication device to wake up, receive the version number, and stay awake to decode the overhead message only if the overhead message has changed.
Overview
A communication transceiver transmits an overhead message including a version number associated with a first version of the overhead message. A processing system determines control channel occupancy and reverse noise generated by a plurality of wireless communication devices, compares the control channel occupancy to an occupancy threshold and the reverse noise to a reverse noise threshold, and updates the version number resulting in an updated version number if a criteria is met. The criteria is met if the control channel occupancy fails to exceed the occupancy threshold and the reverse noise exceeds the reverse noise threshold. The communication transceiver then transmits the overhead message including the updated version number if the criteria is met.